Rock & Roll Farm

Splice

Last night’s rehearsal went really well. It was a blast, even. There are going to be so many people on stage! Nick Alvarez commented that it feels like being in an orchestra again. I’ve never been in an orchestra, but I’ve performed with them bunches of times, so I know what he’s saying.

After spending the last half-hour typing and retyping this, I’ve decided it would be too complicated for me to explain here how the whole piece works. How the players interact and whatnot. It doesn’t matter right now anyway. What I really wanted to get at was how comfortable I feel on the mandolin already. Usually by now I’ve given up on the instrument I’ve decided to obsess over. But lately I’ve surprised myself. I want to play!

The fact remains that however zealous I may be about my new instrument - I’ve been incredibly nervous about how I’ll fit in with this group of stellar musicians.

There was a point in the piece last night when Dan Godston the incredibly talented trumpet player was trying to communicate a line for me to play, and I shook my head to tell him it was too much for me. I worried that I seemed like a total hack. After we did a run through, the group started a nice discussion. The point was made that when communicating among the players, you have to be cognizant of the limitations of your ensemblemate’s instrument. I found that the perfect time to pipe up and say, “yeah, and some of us are new to our respective instruments, so if we look freaked out, maybe you could communicate something less challenging.” Everyone nodded their heads in agreement, and didn’t make faces like I thought they might. I forgot that the musicians I chose to play with are considerate and flexible.

I don’t know why I get so worked up about this stuff. They know it takes time to learn. I mean, it’s not like they were born with saxophones already in their mouths. Although sometimes I think that’s the case with Toru.